Former “American Idol” star Clay Aiken has confirmed he is running for U.S. Congress. The singer announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives seat in North Carolina’s second district in a …

Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

Former “American Idol” star Clay Aiken has confirmed he is running for U.S. Congress.

The singer announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives seat in North Carolina’s second district in a video message posted on his website on Wednesday.

Aiken, who is a Democrat, credits his tough childhood with fueling his desire to help people in need.

He says, “For most Americans, there are no golden tickets – at least not like the kind you see on TV. More families are struggling today than at any time in our history, and here in North Carolina, we’ve suffered more than our share of pain.”

Singer Clay Aiken has come clean about his cosmetic surgery makeover for the new season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Aiken made his nip-and-tuck confession during an appearance on Tuesday’s “Watch What …

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, file) Former “American Idol” singer Clay Aiken has sparked reports he’s dating a fellow Broadway star, just two months after revealing to the world he is gay. Aiken revealed he …

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)

Former “American Idol” singer Clay Aiken has sparked reports he’s dating a fellow Broadway star, just two months after revealing to the world he is gay.

Aiken revealed he was gay to People magazine in September as part of a photo spread featuring him and his new baby son, Parker, who was born in August.

According to reports the star has a new boyfriend, Broadway dancer Reed Kelly, who currently stars in hit musical “Wicked.”

Aiken and Kelly appeared together at Rosie O’Donnell’s Building Dreams for

Kids gala in November.

A source at the event tells Star, “It was obvious they were a couple.”

And Aiken’s return to the stage in Broadway’s “Spamalot” has sparked reports the two are an item.

A Broadway insider adds, “Everybody knows Reed as Clay’s guy. Clay met him when he was doing ‘Spamalot’ in early 2008, and that’s one of the reasons he came back to the show again.”

“Spamalot” is scheduled to end its successful run with a final performance on January 18.

“American Idol” star Clay Aiken is a fantastic father who dotes on his baby son, according to the child’s mother. Aiken finally revealed he was homosexual in the new issue of People magazine, as part …

“American Idol” star Clay Aiken is a fantastic father who dotes on his baby son, according to the child’s mother.

Aiken finally revealed he was homosexual in the new issue of People magazine, as part of a photospread featuring him and his new baby son Parker, who was born in August.

And the baby’s mother — Aiken’s friend and record producer Jaymes Foster — says Aiken is the model father.

Foster, who conceived via in vitro fertilization, tells People.com, “He’s an incredible caregiver. As far as changing the diapers and seeing what’s wrong with (Parker) and getting him to go to sleep, Clay’s a natural and he’s really, really good with that.

“On a larger scale, he’s the perfect person. He’s been a school teacher, we have the same morals, family is very important to him and Parker means everything to us.”

Singer Clay Aiken is having a baby with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster. A spokesman for Foster’s music mogul brother, David Foster, has confirmed that Jaymes, 50, became pregnant …

Singer Clay Aiken is having a baby with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster.

A spokesman for Foster’s music mogul brother, David Foster, has confirmed that Jaymes, 50, became pregnant through artificial insemination and is due to give birth to the 29-year-old “American Idol” star’s child in August.

Bill Vigars tells People.com, “The story is true… Clay is the father. She was artificially inseminated by Clay. She’s due in August… She looks great, glowing and very happy.

“She and Clay have been good friends ever since “American Idol,” when they worked together.”

Aiken is reportedly thrilled with the news and plans to be an ever-present father to the child, even though he has no plans to wed Foster.

Photo by Michael Maloney / CHRONICLE Singer Clay Aiken cut short an interview with a Newsweek magazine reporter after refusing to answer a series of personal questions. Journalist Ramin Setoodeh was …

Photo by Michael Maloney / CHRONICLE

Singer Clay Aiken cut short an interview with a Newsweek magazine reporter after refusing to answer a series of personal questions.

Journalist Ramin Setoodeh was quizzing the “American Idol” star on his upcoming Broadway debut in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” when the reporter chose to ask Aiken about a series of recent controversies.

These included a fight Aiken allegedly had with a woman on a plane and ongoing speculation about his sexuality, which culminated in a spat between TV hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Kelly Ripa.

O’Donnell rushed to defend Aiken after Ripa appeared to attack the singer’s rumored homosexuality when he was a co-host on her morning show.

But Aiken took offense to Setoodeh’s questions, repeating, “I’m not going to talk about it,” or, “I’m not going to discuss it.”

He then turned on the reporter when he asked Aiken what he wanted to talk about, hissing, “We’re done. I thought Newsweek would be more reputable. I’m surprised. This is Newsweek. It’s not the National Enquirer.”

He added, “I’d hate to have a job where I had to be rude to people.”

When Setoodeh attempted to save the interview by asking Aiken what he did for fun, the angry singer replied, “I watch the news. I read news magazines, but I’m reconsidering that now.”